CD Review: Terminal State - Illegal Space Activity

Artist: Terminal State
Title: Illegal Space Activity (2CD)
Genre: Dark Electro
Release Date: 7th March 2013
Label: Electro Aggression Records

Album Review

After many years of silence, a cosmic signal reached EARth electrologists in a clandestine S.E.T.I. monitoring station (45.5081° N, 73.5550° W) in Southern Canada. Old School purists found the signal to be a recent one. The message received revealed TERMINAL STATE will be reborn after a 14 year slumber. It was to be Electro Aggression Records’ mission to prepare for this arrival. Many more instructions followed. They were very complex and littered with details. Sometimes so complex it was difficult for veteran electrologists to comprehend. With the assistance of those who came before, we are able to interpret the message of TERMINAL STATE.

The first series of instructions concentrated on the topics of ‘Illegal Space Activity’. Later, more instructions followed with a heavy focus on reworking past and current accomplishments in P-4 laboratories inside Area 53. ‘Trespassed Area 53’ houses a manifesto of sonic relics and memoirs from Terminal State and their allies. The final set of instructions was originally thought to be a cipher implanted to weed out or eliminate weaker minds. To some extent that was thought to be true, but later verified as a misinterpretation. TERMINAL STATE’s true message was in the form of an invitation extended to all to experience their arcane offerings in a new light in a different time.

The first track on ‘Illegal Space Activity’ is called ‘Perished’. It playfully gnaws on your ears with a short gripping instrumental statement that sets the expectations for the next 70 minutes of your life. ‘Early Warning’, lashes out with a strong mid-tempo ritualistic pummelling of highly technical beats. As the track progresses, some atmospheric effects join the amalgamation of sounds coming together to create a nice dark electro vibe. Thomas’ vocals are heavily distorted and never overshadow the music. The vocals seem almost ancillary when blended into the composition. The next track, ‘Fatalist’, picks up the pace. It definitely follows the pathway set by ‘Early Warning’. There are a few breaks in the song. The structure changes with a brief pause followed by a memorable and strange knob-twisting sound.

‘Andromeda’ is the first track you can get your interstellar dance on. Faster beats intensify and give momentum to the extra-terrestrial aggression from the Andromeda Spiral Galaxy. The merciless and forthright beat pounds on you like an asteroid shower in a densely populated city. ‘Symmetry of the Shadows’ and ‘Devastating Toxicity’ are both instrumentals that deliver and display a high level of skill. ‘Symmetry of the Shadows’ gives us five minutes that seem like a pleasant eternity as you get lost in the limitless pathways and crossroads of the music. Although there are no lyrics, there are a few samples that refer to the Manchurian Candidate and its themes of mind control in sleeper agents. ‘Devastating Toxicity’ increases the power by turning up the beat and hitting harder. If ‘Symmetry of the Shadows’ abducts you, ‘Devastating Toxicity’ violently probes you.

Placed between ‘Symmetry of the Shadows’ and ‘Devastating Toxicity’ are two more intense tracks, ‘Ultraviolet Coma’ and ‘Last Prophecy’. Both display a higher order of thinking with secret knowledge derived from otherworldly entities. They deliver arrangements that rival the best of post ‘Response Frequency’ NOISE UNIT and early 90’s FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY. ‘Sleepless Night’ starts off innocent enough. It later becomes a harnessing of sound to prevent a cacophonic outburst. The song wants to explode. There are so many sounds that must be controlled in order to prevent chaos. It’s a perfect complement to theme of restlessness and sleep deprivation. The music takes on the imagery of someone battling themselves to rest. Perhaps some sort of fear or post-abduction trauma has taken hold of the individual and consumed them to the point they are deeply afraid of falling asleep.

The last four tracks on ‘Illegal Space Activity’ seal us in an isolation area for twenty-five minutes. We are left alone to our thoughts. Our minds wander as we absorb the final four offerings from TERMINAL STATE. ‘Outbreak’ offers some sounds we haven’t heard yet. It becomes instantly addictive. The vocals are robotic in nature. I visualize a mechanized division of robotic extra-terrestrial warriors invoking havoc on an unsuspecting human population. ‘Outbreak’ is set to a punishing slower dance beat perfect for eradicating those resource-hording pathetic humans. ‘My Blood’, ‘Natural City’ & ‘Selection’ continue pour on the power. They are a testament to what TERMINAL STATE and EAR stand for. ‘My Blood’ is a tremendous piece that could easily serve as the first song on the album. The same could be said about ‘Natural City’ and ‘Selection’. Sometimes as we wind down to the final tracks on an album, the quality goes down and the filler sets in. That does not happen here! You get a lot bang for your dollar, Euro or Triskelion Quatloo. It would be a difficult task to pick one song to be the first single.

The gatekeeper to ‘Trespassed Area 53’ is the legendary Jihad. Their remix of ‘Natural City’ produces a more polished and smooth feel than the original. Both employ the heavily distorted effects on the vocals. Each version offers a different approach while retaining the formula that gives ‘Natural City’ its identity. ‘Ultraviolet Coma’ and ‘My Blood’ get the coveted BRAIN LEISURE treatment. The originals are brutally powerful and laced with the sinister undertones of a close encounter of the forth kind. BRAIN LEISURE builds up the beat and makes the tracks quite danceable. I definitely feel a little more at ease with these versions. BRAIN LEISURE’s approach is always precise and masterful, making this a wonderful collaboration.

The trilogy of recent EAR offerings infiltrates the next three tracks and explores other regions of experience with alternate versions of ‘Fatalist’, ‘Last Prophecy’ and ‘Andromeda’. All offer something of value and demonstrate an assortment of special technology that only a few can harness. The veneers created by TERMINAL STATE are stripped down and redone by PYRROLINE, TEAR!DOWN and TERMINAL STATE. PYRROLINE adds a nice flowing feel, the same feel I get from listening to their albums. Char Ly and Oliver of TEAR!DOWN use some of their distinct trademark sounds that tantalized us on ‘Clouds Cover the Sun’. Both versions of ‘Andromeda’ are technical and laced with severe blistering beats. TERMINAL STATE’s alternate version gives a more spacious feel with some atmospherics trickled in.

Luc Cipher is an old track redone here for the 2013 double CD release of ‘Illegal Space Activity’. The electronics are like an alien tractor beam. They pull us into a mesmerizing instrumental world of cosmic tranquillity. As you remain helpless ‘Under Control’ pushes forward with a gentle malevolence, a warning there is something bigger and more violent waiting on the horizon. Although it not completely instrumental, it acts as a nice build or bridge into that dark and violent place on the horizon. The insane effects on the vocals for ‘Infra Mental’ and ‘We’re From Earth’ are flat out terrifying. At a high volume the effects really smash into your central nervous system. These songs can easily become the soundtrack for the last fifteen minutes of A Fire in the Sky where the extra-terrestrial biological entities are laying a smack down on Travis Walton.

‘Kings from the Sky’ belts out some more interstellar wickedness. This is the final vocal offering on the disc. It is a dark ride into and out of the unknown. It delivers the chill of eternal captivity. ‘Digging Deep’ is a ten minute opus that soothes the body and mind that just experienced this monumental gift from TERMINAL STATE. Ten minutes is not enough time to break this whole thing down, but it does act as a nice buffer to whatever is next on the listening agenda. In the past fourteen years, two albums were left on the shelf to go unreleased. TERMINAL STATE vanished. When news broke about a new double album in 2013 there were definitely some rumblings of excitement from the old school community. It was nice to see the Broken Seal gang continue to find new homes with Electro Aggression Records. The label promotes their music to a whole new audience through various social media outlets like Facebook, SoundCloud, Bandcamp and music forums. For the most part not much of this existed 14 years ago. Hopefully TERMINAL STATE finds this new period much more rewarding and exciting.

There are so many amazing things at work in this release. Thomas had plenty of time to perfect his skills, work on new material and rework some older material. It shows big time! I had a blast breaking this down over the past few weeks. Even the artwork is pretty cool. One of the best things I experienced was each and every time I played the album; I heard something that I missed before. Space is vast and limitless much like TERMINAL STATE’s ability to design complex and multi-layered electronics. The only thing I would have added to the total package would be more in the liner notes such as lyrics or a small piece on the reasoning behind the themes. I felt too much was left to my imagination. I really wanted to know more about the thought process behind the song titles. I found myself filling in the missing information in my own twisted sort of way. Perhaps leaving it up to the listener is a good thing? Either way, this is a top notch release and deserves to be experienced. Buy it! Listen to it! Experience it!


Tracklist

Line-up

Chris XX, Minor


Website

https://www.facebook.com/terminalstate


Cover Picture




Rating

Music: 9.5
Sound: 9.5
Total: 9.5 / 10